By Cory Sekine-Pettite
Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love to shop — a pastime that apparently is rare among men. I enjoy the process — seeing the items up close, touching them, checking the quality, trying things on, etc. I also like spending time in bookstores. Of course, I typically gravitate to the magazine sections first — and I hope you still buy printed publications from time to time. During each visit, I eventually will explore the entire shop, looking for book covers that catch my eye, checking for new releases on the subjects I hold dear, and perhaps finding gifts I know friends will love.
For a multitude of reasons, there aren’t as many bookstores left in the United States, but there still are several thriving independent booksellers within a few miles of my Smyrna home, and at least one retail chain has begun opening new stores here. And unlike the fleeting excitement from the experience of say, buying a new shirt, the gratification of owning a new book continues once you get home. There is great pleasure in reading a new novel or slowly thumbing your way through a photo book. This feeling can last much longer than the quick hit of dopamine from buying some random item of clothing you soon will forget having purchased in the first place.
I recently bought two novels and a notebook (I’ll share my love of notebooks and pens in another article someday.) from a bookstore in East Cobb. The first of the novels I’m reading is a darkly comic tale about a serial killer in the U.K. It’s one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in years, and at the suggestion of my best friend, I’ve made it a part of my morning routine to read a few pages before I do anything else. I find that it centers me, improves my mood, gets my creative juices flowing, and puts me on a path to productivity. Now I ask you, can a new shirt do that?
